AltWeeklies Wire » Movies+TV » Profiles & Interviews

Jason Segel Bares it All in 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall'

By Marc D. Allan
NUVO | April 11, 2008
In Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which Jason Segel wrote and stars in, he does something he never expected to do.

"I reached down deep and I did a scene completely nude," he said. "Much to my mother's dismay."

And his own, to some degree. In an interview, Segel, who also stars on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, talked about being naked on the big screen.

Q: What was the nude scene like?

Segel: I thought I would find it fun. Quite the opposite. Once I showed up, it was complete terror. Because I had a terrible realization right before I walked out naked about the difference between male nudity and female nudity. When a woman is naked, she has the comfort of knowing that men out there have all sorts of different tastes. They like bigger women, smaller women, big breasts, small breasts, whatever. There aren't too many women out there who love a small penis. You're basically being judged on one issue alone. So it was terrifying.

Q: So, no fluffer involved?

Segel: It's a very fine line because for the R rating, it's essentially that it be completely flaccid. But personally, it was very important to me that it not be completely flaccid. A real dichotomy there.

Q: Did you at least have the set closed?

Segel: I actually opened the set because I thought it would make me feel more comfortable. Honest to God. I thought the less of a deal we make out of this, the better.

Q: And as soon as you started rolling, did you think: I shouldn't have done this?

Segel: Absolutely. I started screaming at the writer. Which, unfortunately, was me.

I had a naked breakup in my real life, which was the inspiration for the scene. As it was happening, I was well aware it was the funniest thing that was ever happening to me. So I wrote it for the movie.

Q: Can you share a little about that?

Segel: No. That's all I've got for you on that one.
Tags: Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Nicholas Stoller

NUVO

For 25 years, Indy has turned to NUVO as the authority on arts, entertainment and community issues. As Indiana's largest independent alternative news organization, over 250,000 loyal readers turn to NUVO's website, weekly paper and seasonal CityGuides for news on...
More »
Contact for Reprint Rights
  • Market Served: Metropolitan Area
  • Address: 3951 N. Meridian St., Suite 200, Indianapolis, IN 46208
  • Phone: (317) 254-2400
www.nuvo.net